I wanted to experiment with some interesting accidental washes and colours as a background to this piece. Knowing that this was going to be quite a spontaneous piece, I had to be sure I was working on a surface that could take at least a little rubbing for any alterations I needed to do as I went along. One good thing about practicing on newsprint is that there is virtually no room to mess around with a drawing without some trace of the alteration or damage to the surface. This has been good training in making sure I'm mindful of each mark I make. You can imagine when I do work on a surface that can take a little rough housing, it takes a huge chunk of pressure off, but the training still stays...

I have some nice thick 300g/m watercolour paper for this and gave it a wash of acrylic ultramarine blue then raw umber, letting the washes run down to make interesting dripping marks for the background.

Using a Sepia Light Conte Pencil, the figure was drawn, making sure the 'quality of line' was good as this drawing would be seen in the completed piece. The acrylic primed rough watercolour paper was a great surface to work on. Once I was satisfied with the drawing, the shadows were given a wash of Chinese Black Ink ( there is just a unique luminous quality to chinese ink and I love using it whenever possible ).To help get my bearings I now went in with the lightest light I planned for the piece.A splash of white acrylic (with a touch of raw umber) carved out the structure of the man's head and shoulder. Though I had a rough idea where I wanted the white to go, I was always aware of how the composition was developing as I was applying it and adjusting accordingly. For example, I had planned to paint down over the man's left shoulder more, but then the drip happened and looked so good I had to leave it. Acrylic dries fast so decisions had to be made quickly.With the lights and darks established I went in with a little more detailing for the figure with white chalk, charcoal and the sepia light pencil. I had to be careful not to do too much or risk losing the mood of the piece..

Influenced by the abstract minimalist compositions of traditional Japanese & Chinese ink paintings where blank spaces are an integral part of the composition, the abstract shapes and tones of the composition were my first consideration. Linear lines were kept simple, cross contouring the forms and textures of my subjects..The rich copperish hue I could see in my minds eye,.. it had to be just right.. With a few sample tests, a strong mixture of raw umber & light red watercolour got the result desired.Luckily I had first hand reference of the mangrove tree from a few life sketches I had done a few years back at Morib where their remains, like skeletons, haunt their salty waters.​

About

Hiya, Welcome to my Fresh Art ( formally Small Art Pieces ) blog which was created exclusively as an easy reference for all of you who are looking for original works of art you simply love for your home or office!More can be found at : Available Art Pieces.If purchasing a new art-piece is not on your agenda at the moment, please do feel free to browse any of my other art blogs below! :)

Love learning all the ins and outs of the creative process!​Check out my other Artblogs!

Want to be sure to only get an art-piece you love in person?I offer a 14 day money back guarantee for all my artworks & prints and ship worldwide!Please refer to my Payment, Delivery & Refund Policiesfor details.

Connect With The Artist

If you would like to see my latest artworks straight off the easel & updates please sign up to my newsletter.